Use Google’s new AirDrop clone to share files between Android and Windows

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It has never been easier to share files, especially on Android and Windows.

Google launched the nearby sharing app for Windows, which has been in beta since March. The new tool lets you easily send and receive files (photos, videos, music documents, and more) between nearby Android devices and Windows computers.

During Nearby Share’s beta program, 1.7 million people downloaded the app, sending more than 50 million files between their Android and Windows devices, according to Google.

Nearby sharing is not close to being the first file sharing feature between Android and Windows. It’s not the only file transfer tool currently available on Google, either: You can transfer files via Google Accounts, such as Drive and Photos, or even via USB.

However, it’s easy to use. Nearby sharing involves no wires and doesn’t require uploading files to existing accounts. Instead, just like Apple’s AirDrop feature, you can quickly send a file from your Android phone to your Windows computer, as long as the two devices are nearby and connected. It’s simply less complicated to use than other existing file transfer methods.

If you’re interested in sharing files between your devices, here’s how Nearby Sharing works.

For more, check out the best Android phones you can get in 2023 and our comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S23 vs Galaxy S22.

How to use Nearby Share on Windows and Android

On your Windows computer, go to the Nearby Share website and click Get Started to download the tool. Install the Nearby Share application, give it access to your computer and wait for it to start.

The entire download and installation process should take less than a minute.

Nelson Aguilar/CNET

Once Nearby Sharing is on and ready, you can sign in with your Google Account or use it without. If you log in to your account, you can customize some preferences that you can’t do without an account linked to Nearby Sharing.

The next page will show you some settings to customize before continuing, such as your device name (which you can change) and who your device is visible to. By default, your computer won’t be visible, but if you tap None, you can choose to make your device visible to everyone, your contacts, or your devices.

You can change your computer name, for example [your name]Windows PCs.

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Now that your device is visible, you can send files from your Android to your Windows.

For this example, I’ll be sharing a video from a Galaxy S23 Ultra to a Dell G7. To share the video, I went to the Photos app on my Android phone, hit the Share button, tapped Nearby Share, found my computer, and then sent the video. Whatever file you’re sharing, the process should be pretty similar: Tap Share, find the Nearby Share option, and then send to your computer.

You can share videos, photos, documents, audio files and more.

Nelson Aguilar/CNET

On your computer, you will then need to accept the file. Once done, it will download to your computer. You can access the file directly from Nearby Share or from your download folder (default save).

You must accept the file before it can be downloaded to your computer.

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If you want to share a file from your Windows computer to your Android device, drag and drop the file to Nearby Share, browse for your device, and send.

Also, check out how to clean up your Android by deleting your browser cache and how you can get Windows 11 for $40 right now.

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